Our writers reflect on what makes their hearts beat. Critical, witty, honest.
Knitting with Coalsmoke collects a selection of the “pleasantly musty” strips of John Bagnall – small press veteran of the heady 1980s days of Escape and Fast Fiction – and…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
The issue of sexism and a lack of realistic female role models in super-hero comics is one that has plagued the industry for years. Will Brooker – Professor in Film…
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
One of the most recurrent pre-adolescents fantasies must be having the ability to read minds. (Another one is probably X-ray vision, but for an entirely different reason…) French creator Lewis Trondheim…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
Evolving from the monthly Process Comics group at London’s Gosh! Comics, the First World War anthology To Arms! brings together a number of established players on the self-publishing scene – including Mike…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
Between the Billboards is a comic with something of a ‘Small Pressganged’ pedigree. I reviewed the first four issues here at Broken Frontier last year and included it in my annual round-up…
The nominations for the fourth Scottish Independent Comic Book Alliance (SICBA) Awards have been released this week, celebrating excellent work from some fine creators north of the border. Public voting for…
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
Sick and tired of the European art world’s conservative outlook on his paintings, Paul Gauguin moved to French Polynesia in the late 1800s in search of a second lease of…
A solitary discarded glove is a melancholy sight as it poignantly lies forever separated from the defining duality of its functional life partner. But that same sense of sadness we…
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
In the ongoing epic of the life of Dredd, Case Files #7 is a quiet but remarkably solid collection that switches from straight action to smart satire at the snap of…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
Billing itself as the UK’s “first graphic newspaper since the Titanic sank” Modern Times is an intriguing new project overseen by a three-woman team of Royal College of Art students….
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
Acclaimed for his focus on the working classes, comic creator Baru has created such blue-collar masterpieces as L’autoroute du soleil and Bonne Année. However, he remains criminally below the radar in the Anglophone…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
Self-publishing as a potential route to both greater recognition and professional exposure is something I have firmly advocated in this column over the last few years. John Lees and Iain…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
The philosophy behind ‘Small Pressganged’ at Broken Frontier has always been not just to provide an outlet for small press coverage in a comics media dominated by “mainstream” stories but…
Free comics! It’s hardly a difficult proposition is it? Here’s our monthly spotlight on accessible online work covering creators who have appeared in ‘Small Pressganged’ in the past at Broken…
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
Ever since the boom in popularity of the graphic novel, it seems to be a given that artists are also excellent writers, churning out literary stories while putting down depictions…
Columns · Crossing Borders · Eyecatcher
Steel mils and classic cars: what could be more American than those icons? How about a good ol’ dose of paranoia and mystery? French creators Rodolphe & Bertrand Marchal’s third…
In August of last year I reviewed the Battle Royale/The Hunger Games/Avengers Arena satire Metrodome from the team of Craig Collins and Iain Laurie in this column here. The ghoulish imaginations…
Columns · Eyecatcher · Small Pressganged
Jade Sarson’s webcomic Cafe Suada – an offbeat, manga-influenced romantic comedy charting the rivalry between Piyo Piyo tea shop manageress Geraldine Grey and Ewan from the next door Dark Moon…
“It’s about Fame, Friendship, and Just How Long You’re Willing to Fake it to Make it” – Duane Murray and Ahmed Raafat Talk ‘Who Are the Power Pals?’ from Dark HorseNovember 6, 2025
“It’s Tough Out There, But You’re Absolutely Not Alone!” – Dave Cook on ‘Killtopia: Phantoms’, Challenging Times for Crowdfunding, and Returning to Thought BubbleNovember 5, 2025
“My Brain Broke, and Out Came Donuts” – Neill Cameron Looks Back on ‘Mega Robo Bros’ and Forward with ‘Donut Squad’, the Latest Smash Hit Strip from the Pages of ‘The Phoenix’November 4, 2025
“The Biggest Challenge for Me Was Having to Think More Like a Director” – Michael Schwartz on Writing for Comics for the First Time and His Supernatural Ghost Story ‘Armored’October 31, 2025
“It’s a Fantasy Adventure about Growing Up” – Joe Latham Talks ‘Haru’, the Self-Publishing Journey, and Using Colour as a Narrative ToolOctober 30, 2025
